Apparatus for treating oil from wells



May 6 1924. 1,492,963

R.CONRADER v APPARATUS FOR- TREATING OIL FROM wELLs Filed y 20. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR May 6, 1924. v 1,492,963

R. CONRADER r I APPARATUS FOR TREATING OIL FROM WELLS Filed May 20. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \lll. ill

. Patented Mac, 1924.

UNITED sures? aunoiirn GONRADEB, or ERIE, rnNNsYLvANm.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING OIL FROM Application filed May 20, 1920. Serial No. 382,756.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH Commons, a- .citizen of the United States, residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and S ate of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Treating Oil from Wells, of which the following is a specification.

In treating oil, particularly in removing oil, the oil is carried from pipe lines to a point of collection. Under some conditions the oil is subjected to pressure through gravity. Under other conditions the flow is almost entirely an artificial head due to re- 1 duced pressure at the point of delivery of the oil. In carrying out my invention I- deliver the oil to a tank or separator which is under a vacuum to induce the flow of oil.

This reduced pressure on the oil efiects a sep- 2 aration of the gases and heretofore these gases have been very largely lost and further where the separation is not efl'ectively accomplished much of the gas is carried along and af terwards lost.

arator so as to more efi'ectively accomplish the separation of the gas and a control of the separator so as to conform to the capacity of the pumps and apparatus and further to give to such a device the necessary flexibility under the varying conditions to which it is subjected as to de-- livery of oil and quality of oil. Other features and details of the invention will appear from the specificationand claims.

he apparatus forming the subject matter of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as follows Fig. l showsa plan view of the apparatus, some of it being in outline.

Fig. 2 a central section through the separator and immediately adjacent parts.

Fig. 3 a section on the line 3-3 inFig. 2.

Fig. 4a section on the line 4-4 in Fig.2. Fig. 5 a section on the line 5-5 in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 a section on the lines 6-6 in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 7 a section on theline 7- -7 in Fig. 1. Fig. 8 a section on the line 8'-8 in Fig.2.

Fig. 9 a section on the line 9-9 in Fig. 2.

1 marks the manifold to which the oil lines 2, 2, 2.1ead. -Each oil line is rovided with a controlling valve 3. acli valve has a check disc 4 operating on a seat 5 permitting the inflow of oil and pre- My invention involves a control of the is delivering at a greater pressure than another. Each disc is lockedin closed posit1on by a stem 6 when it is desired to close oif the line. A pipe 7 leads from the manifold 1 and connects with a pipe 8 through a globe valve 9. Thepipe 8 connects with a valve 10' and the valve 10 connects with a separator tank 11. The separator tank discharges by way of the valve 12, pipe 13, and valve 14 to an inlet pipe 15 leading to the inlet of a pump 16. The pump has the discharge pipe 17 Gas is carried from the separating tank by way of a pipe 18 which delivers to the low pressure cylinder 19 of a compressor. The low. pressure cylinder is connected by a pipe 20 usually rovided with an intercooler- (not shown? with a high pressure cylinder 21. The high pressure cylinder discharges by way of the pipe 22 to a condensing coil 23-arranged in a cooling vat 24. The coil 23 discharges to a gasoline cooling receptacleor tank 25.

11 carrying out the process the oil is induced to flow to the separating tank. by a vacuum on that tank and this induces not only the natural separation of the gases but a separation of any gas that would separate at ordinary temperatures and-under ordinary conditions after being discharged and the gasoline is extracted from this gas byany well-known process, the device shown venting an outflow of oil where one line being merely conventio. .11. The same compressor that compresses the gases for the extraction of'the *gasoline maintains the vacuum on the separating tank.

7 The oil is delivered .to the separating tank and is divided into two streams by a deflector 26. The tank has a float chamber 27 arranged at its center and an annular separating chamber formed with the bottom 28 between the walls of the tank 27 and the wallsof the tank 11, this separating chamber having deflecting plates 29 and a discharge opening 30 to the bottom of the tank. The deflecting plates 29 give to the oil a tortuous passage so as to more thoroughl liberate thegases which may be in the o' The gases are carried from the oil upwardly by a tortuous passage, the purpose of which is to prevent foaming which sometimes occurs from reaching the gas out- I 7 let of the tank. This tortuous passage is provided" by theiplates 31 and 33 which are arranged between the walls of the compartment 27 and the tank 11, the plate 31 having an opening 32 at one side of the tank and the plate 33 an opening 34 at the opposite side of the tank.

A float 35 is arranged in the floatchamber 27. The float chamber extends from the top of the separating tank to nearly the bottom of the tank, the bottom of the float chamber being open to the bottom of the tank. In this way the float chamber is supplied at all times with practically dead oil so that the action of the float with a given quantity of oil is uniform. A stem extends upwardly 'from the float chamber through a gland 37 in the top of the separating chamber. The stem'has' a cross pin 38 which extends into the oppositely arranged slots 39 and 40 in the levers 41 and 42 respectively. The lever 41 is pivoted on a post 43. It is connected by a link 44 with an arm 45. The arm 45 is mounted on a post 48 and connected by a link 49 with a rocker arm 50. The rocker arm 50 is carried by a pin 51, the pin 51 controlling a butterfly valve 52 forming the controlling element the lever 42 and closes ,more or less the valve12. If the delivery is too great, the valve 12 being wide open, an upward movement of the float closes the valve 10. In this way there is a perfect control.

The lever 41 has its downward movement limited by a stop 53 arranged on a frame 54 carried by. the top of the tank 11 and the lever 42 has its upward movement limited by a stop 55 on the frame 54. The manifold 1 leads to a bypass valve 56. This valve has a loaded disc 57 and discharges through a pipe 58. Ordinarily the pipe 58 leads to a tank of some elevation so that there is a back head and this head with the weight of the disc 57 is such as to force the delivery of oil ordinarily through the passages heretofore described but if there is an excess head morethan the pump will take care of and there is sufficient pressure to deliver oil directly to the storage tank, the valve 56 is opened and oil is bypassed in this manner to the tank.

A pipe 59 connects the manifold directly with the discharge pipe by way of the valve 14. The valve 14 is a three-way valve havmeaeea ing the strai ht way 60 adapted to be registered with t e inlet 61 and outlet port 62 in the valve body (see Fig. 8) and the valve also has a way 64. The valve body has away 63 which is connected with the pipe 59. By moving the valve to bring the way 60 to register with the way 63, the way 64 1s connected with the way 62 so that there is abypassing of the oil from the manifold to the pump 16. This bypass is utilized when anything is wrong with the separating tank and it is desired to make a direct connection, and under these conditions the valve 9 will ordinarily be closed.

In order to operate the valves 10 and 12 a large float is required with the variations of pressure in the tank. This would put considerable strain on the float especially when the float is" made of light material. I prefer to provide for balancing the pressure inside and outside the float by means of a tube 65 which extends from the bottom of the float to a point considerably above the float. This permitspf balancing the pressure. At the same time the variations of pressure in the tank which are'communicated to the float will under ordinary circumstances expel any oil that may leak into the float, that is to say, that any higher pressure which the tank may be subjected to by an inrush of liquid will be communicated to the float and with a reduction of pressure in the tank the expansion of these gases will expel any liquid from the float by way of the tube 65. In order to more certainly assure the pessibility of maintaining the float free fromliquid I prefer to provide the stem with the passage 66 which communicates with a pipe 67. -The pipe 67 is normally capped at 68. By removing this cap pressure may be delivered by way of the passage 66 so as to expel any liquid there may be in the float through the tube 65.

In effecting a more perfect control I desire to automatically vary the pumping action as the inflow of oil varies. This is ac- 'complished by the following mechanism An extension 69 is arranged on the stem 36. A cable 7 O'runs from this extension over the pulleys 71 and 72 to a rocker arm 73. A weight 74 operates the rocker arm in one direction and the float operating through the cable operates the rocker arm in the opposite direction. The rocker arm is secured to a shaft 76 carrying the butterfly valve 77in the pump supply pipe 78. In

order to prevent the outflow of liquid through the gas exhaust pipe I prefer to provide a float valve 79 which will close the exhaust pipe if the liquid reaches the inlet to the exhaust. I also prefer to provide a weighted discharge valve which will permit of a discharge of an excessive delivery of air to the separating tank with the oil. This is accomplished by means ,of the weighted valve 80 arranged at the point of connection of the exhaust pipe 18 with the separating tank.

What I claim as new is 1. In an oil treating apparatus, the combination of a separating tank; means for delivering and discharging oil to and from the tank; a float in the tank; means for taking out the accumulated gas and producing a vacuum in the tank; devices automatically controlling the delivery and discharge of oil, comprising valves controlling the delivery and discharge of oil; a lever controlling each of said valves; and a stem connecting the float with each lever; said connection being operative in relation to each lever, in one direction and in a direction opposite to that of the other lever.

2. In an oil treating apparatus, the combination of a separating tank; means for delivering and discharging oil to and from the tank; means for taking out the accumulated. gas and producing a vacuum in the tank; devices automatically controlling the delivery and discharge of oil, comprising valves controlling the delivery and discharge. of oil to and from the tank; aplever for each valve; oppositely arranged slots in the levers; and a valve stem having a head operatin in said. slots to move each lever in one direction and in a direction opposite to that of the other lever to control the valves.

3. In an oil treating apparatus, the combination of a separating tank; means for delivering and discharging oil to'the tank;

means for taking out the accumulated gas and producing a vacuum in the tank; devices automatically controlling the delivery in proportion to the discharge of oil comprising a pump; and means for varying the action of the pump in accordance with the delivery of oil.

4. In an oil treating apparatus, the combination of a separating tank; means for delivering and discharging oil to and from the tank; means for taking out the accumulated gas and producing a vacuum 'in the tank comprisin a tortuous passage for the gas within t e tank; and devices automatically controlling the delivery in proportion to the discharge of oil.

5. In an oil treating apparatus, the combination of a separating tank; means for delivering and dlscharging oil to and from the tank; means for taking out-the accumulated gas and producing a vacuum in the tank; a float chamber arranged within the tank and communicating with the tank at its bottom; a float arran ed in the chamber; and means controlle by the float controlling the delivery of oil to the tank.

6. In an oil treating apparatus, the combination of a separating tank; means for delivering and discharging oil to and from the tank; means for taking out the accumulated gas and producing a vacuum in the tank; a float chamber arranged within the tank and communicating with the tank at its bottom; a float arranged in the chamber; and means controlled by the float controlling the delivery and discharge of oil from the tank.

7. In an oil treating apparatus, the combination of a separating tank; means for delivering and discharging oil to and from the tank; means for taking out the accumulated gas and producing a vacuum in the tank; a float 1n the tank controlling the flow of oil; a stem carried by the float through the medium of a hollow stem; and means for closing the stem.;

8. In an oil treating apparatus, the combination of a separating tank; means for delivering and dlscharging oil to and from the tank; means for taking out the accumulated gas and producing a vacuum in the tank; a float 1n the tank controlling the flow of oil; a stem carried by the float through the medium of a hollow stem; means for closing the stem; and a tube ex tending from the bottom of the float to above the float.

9. In'an oil treating apparatus, the combination of a separating tank; means for delivering and discharging oil to and from the tank; a float in the tank; devices automatically controllin charge of oil comprising valves controlling the delivery and discharge of oil; a lever controlling each of said valves; and a stem connecting the float with each lever, said connection being operative in relation to each lever in one dlrection and in a direction 0 posite -to that of the other lever.

10. 11 an oil treating apparatus, the com bination of a separatmg tank; means for delivering and dlscharging oil to and from the tank; devices automatically controlling the delivery and discharge of oil compriss ing valves controlling the delivery and discharge of oil to and from the tank; a lever for each valve; oppositely arranged slots in the levers; and a valve stem having a head operatin in said slots to move each lever in one %i pposite to that'of the other lever to con-- trol the valves.

11. In an oil treating apparatus, the combination of a separating tank; means for delivering and dlscharging oil to the tank; devices, automatically controlling the delivery in proportion to the discharge of oil, comprising a pump; and means for varying the action of the pump in accordance with the delivery of oil.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto 

